Education Commons^™

Kansans Can: Redesigning Schools, Brad Neuenswander

Educational Considerations

Kansas, like many states that are coming off of an era of accountability under the federal No Child Left Behind requirements, is looking at more meaningful ways to value and measure student success. We have asked ourselves questions such as: are we focusing on the right measures; is our accountability system aligned to our educational priorities and values; or is it the educational system itself that needs to change in order to produce a more meaningful set of outcomes? These are questions that need answers before any educational reform initiatives can be addressed. The Kansas State Department of Education leadership, …

Redesign: A Case Study Of Change In A Kansas School District, Fred Van Ranken, Lori Goodson

Educational Considerations

USD 240 Twin Valley School District, consisting of Bennington Grade School and Bennington Junior High/High School in Bennington and Tescott Grade School and Tescott Junior High/High School, was one of seven districts initially selected in August 2017 as part of the first cohort of Kansas State Department of Education's Kansas Can School Redesign Project. This article shares the journey, told by the superintendent and a researcher, of USD 240 as part of the ongoing program which now involves multiple cohorts of districts developing their own pathways toward improvement.

Kansans Can: Redesigning Education In Kansas, Randy Watson

Educational Considerations

In fall 2014, the Kansas State Board of Education charged me with gathering information from Kansans as to what they wanted in their school system. After months of studying the research conducted from listening tours and matching that data to current educational research, the State Board of Education launched a new vision for education in October 2015.

This vision had clear metrics for success – Lead the World. Those metrics were all focused on a single point of obtainment – the Success of Each Student. The vision was clear, difficult to achieve, compelling and viewed attainable by 2026. In fall …

Leadership During Change, Mischel Miller

Educational Considerations

The national education system, similar to the Kansas education system, has seen little change since the 1800s(Throckmorton, 1967). In fact, over 50 years later, there have been few changes. Children come to school around the age of five to enter kindergarten and then move through the current system by age and grade level. These children sit in rows, are addressed by the expert teacher, are given information, and are expected to memorize and regurgitate the material in a standardized testing process. Schools in Kansas predominately open their doors in August and close in May (KSDE, 2018), perpetuating the long history …

What Does A Successful 24 Year Old Look Like?: Reflections From The State Board Of Education, Jim Porter

Educational Considerations

“What does a successful 24 year old look like?” This is a critical question that must be successfully addressed if Kansas is to “Lead the World in the Success of EACH Student.”

For many decades we have attempted to fit the student in to the system and many students have been successful, however, many have not. What would happen if the system were built around the individual student? What would happen if student’s interests, passions and talents were controlling when determining the best educational plan for each student?

By developing Individual Plans of Study based on student interests, abilities and …

Post-Pandemic To Post-Secondary Success, John Heim

Educational Considerations

Ten years ago, the Kansas Association of School Boards Board of Directors authorized a statewide research project to determine how Kansans felt about their public schools. Local boards were encouraged to bring their communities together and ask them some basic questions about what they like and dislike about education in Kansas. One hundred districts ranging in size from Blue Valley to Republic County facilitated community meetings. Over 1,000 Kansans participated and the most commonly reported concern reported was that there was too much emphasis on testing.

With the new “Kansans Can” vision, local districts were asked to look beyond indicators …